


FF

by sentimental_boy



Series: Daimon Hellstrom stories [1]
Category: Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Helstrom (TV 2020), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: F/M, Found Family, Mostly about Valeria's relationship with Daimon, Reed and sue don't have kids, Valeria is Victor's daughter, drew heavily from the comics but you don't have to read them to get it, this was supposed to be a working title but yeet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29553993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sentimental_boy/pseuds/sentimental_boy
Summary: Valeria is in the middle of examining a component for her current project when she hears the door slide open. In strides a redhead in a red, crushed velvet suit with wide, pointed lapels. Under the jacket lies a pristine black button-up with gold stitching. His hands are in his pockets and he’s looking around with constrained interest.“Hey stranger, you lost?” Val asks, not yet putting her tools down.He looks over, and it’s a bit jarring having those orange eyes directed at her. “I certainly hope not. Johnny told me there was a project I could both aid and benefit from, but I assumed I’d be working with Reed.”“And who might you be?”“How rude of me. I’m Daimon.” He extends a hand.She looks him over as she sets her tools down and shakes his hand. “I’m Valeria. You look familiar. Any heroic affiliations?”“I did a stint with the Defenders a few years ago.” He pauses. “Son of Satan sound familiar?”“Oooh, right. You’re normally a lot more shirtless.”“Yeah, well, my powers involve hellfire. It’s easy to overheat.”
Relationships: Daimon Hellstrom/Original Character(s)
Series: Daimon Hellstrom stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171274





	1. Prologue

It's normal for Reed to bury his head in his work and stay that way until Sue, the love and light of his life, comes to forcibly remove his head from his work. Or— that’s how it used to be. Few can even get close to his intellect— and he’s not being arrogant when he thinks that— so work has always also been isolation for him. He never minded, his numbers and gadgets keep him busy, but two years ago everything changed.

An exchange student at Columbia contacted him, _pleading_ for an internship with him. She wasn’t the first, she wouldn’t be the last, but there was a desperate note to her application letter that was absent in the others. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he trusted that if something snagged on some part of his mind, it was worth a more thorough examination. So, he actually read it.

Looking back, he has no idea what made him start looking for interns in the first place. Every once in a while, he takes on a soul he thinks has potential because he’s Mr. Fantastic and he wants to help. He’s also Reed Richards and he knows that having experience working with him on their resume— even if they’re only getting his coffee most of the time— will send that lucky soul straight to where they want to be in the world of science and technology. But there’s a reason he rarely hires interns. Each time he does hire someone, he spends the time waiting for the end of the semester so he can send them on their merry way. There have been a couple of times he forgot about them altogether. It’s… not a great look for him.

So, again, he has no idea what possessed him to go looking through the applications in the first place, but one caught his eye. At the age of 23, this young woman was working her way toward her second doctorate. Impressive, he’ll admit. But bleeding through the professionalism of the letter was a cry for help. It wasn’t obvious, but it was there. It wasn’t until his third reread that it finally clicked. Her _name_. He hadn’t read it at all the first two times, but now that he had, it all made sense. Valeria VonDoom. That seemed like an… ill-advised project.

But he’s Mr. Fantastic and he wanted to help. This wouldn’t be the first time he saved an innocent soul from Doctor Doom and unfortunately, it won’t be the last. Still, bringing Doom’s daughter into their home and lives was bound to bring chaos so he wanted to talk it over with Sue. The idea shocked her. Of course, anybody’s first response to this particular proposal would be a hard no. But Sue is also the Invisible Woman and wants to help. So, it wasn’t difficult for Reed to bring her around.

—0—

A month into Valeria's internship and things were going better than Reed could’ve hoped. He still doesn’t know what it was about that letter other than the overall tone, but he was right. (Of course, he was.) It took some wheedling but after a couple of weeks, Valeria opened up to him and Sue. Sure, she was back in school and away from Doom for now, but every semester, she’s right back home with her megalomaniac father and she couldn’t take it anymore. She confessed that she was hoping to find a permanent position by the time the semester was over and for the first time, Reed had already considered it. He didn’t think she saw it yet but she was nothing short of genius. The way she’s been following his rambling and hesitantly offering suggestions like they weren’t about to _improve_ whatever it was he was working on proved that.

The first time she did it, he was so shocked to have someone in his lab who was helping in a tangible way that he had to stop and stare at her in awe.

—0—

Val didn’t know if she should interrupt Reed. He was hard at work and she knew that look. Back home, her dad would get that same look and if she interrupted him, she’d be lucky if he only yelled at her. But this is Reed Richards, known throughout the multiverse as a hero and he is _not_ her father. She knew that he’d already thought of it when she said it, but she thought it might be a chance to learn something. Judging by the look on his face, she was wrong.

“Dr. Richards, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted you.” She tries to backtrack.

Reed furrows his brows. “What? No, that was a great idea. I’m not used to working with people who offer suggestions— especially not _good_ ones. It’s a nice change of pace. Here.” He moved his chair out of the way. “Do you want to do it?”

“I— Are you sure? You’ve come this far, I don’t want to mess it up.”

“If you mess it up, I have my calculations logged. I’ll do it again. If you’re going to make any strides in the field, you have to take risks. Go on.”

She let out a breath in disbelief as she reached for the tools and went to work.

Reed didn’t have kids, but he imagined that this is what it would be like. Instead of watching the project he’d spent weeks working on, he found himself watching Val and how excited she was. There aren’t many things that Reed can’t understand, but one of them is how _Victor_ of all people raised such an amazing woman. In any case, he’s never been happier that he went looking for an intern.

So, when Reed wakes one morning to a crash and a scream coming from the lab, he has to assume that this is progressing the way _most_ things do for the Fantastic Four. Reed and Sue both rush down to the lab, expecting Doom. Instead, they find Ben towering over Val, who’s backed against the wall as Ben yells.

“You thought you could come here and infiltrate the Fantastic Four? You think we’re a bunch'a dummies?”

“Ben, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I’m not—”

“I don’t’ wanna hear it, yer dad’s always tryin’ to cause trouble for us and I don't know what he’s got planned but—”

“Ben, that’s enough,” Sue calls.

“Huh? Suzy, you don’t get it, this is Victor’s daughter.”

“We know.” Reed cuts in.

“You what?”

“What’s all the ruckus about?” Johnny asks, coming down the steps in his boxers. “Why is everyone down here?”

“Did you know about this, matchstick?” Ben asks.

“Know about what?”

“Val is Doom’s daughter.”

“She’s what? Val, is this true?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys. I promise I’m not here to infiltrate the group or carry out some plot of my father’s. I don’t know how much that means or what it’ll take for you guys to believe me, but it’s the truth either way. I was looking through places to apply for an internship and I saw Reed’s program. When I was stuck at home with my father, it seemed like a ray of hope. You guys are the exact opposite of him in so many ways. I just— I needed a fresh perspective. I thought working— well, interning here could be that.”

“She’s telling the truth,” Reed confirms. “There were no pretenses when she came here. It said Valeria VonDoom right on her application. I saw an opportunity to help someone under Victor’s control. I took it.”

Ben sighs. “Stretch, you shoulda told us. Her bein’ here means the old rust bucket could come knocking on our door any day.”

“I’m sorry.” Val pushes past the lump in her throat. She hopes her eyes aren’t as red and glassy as they feel. “You’re right, I’m putting you all in danger. It was selfish to come here. I’m sorry.” She rushes to the door but finds it blocked by Reed’s… arms??? Her eyes are blurry from the tears and half the time when she looks at Reed she has to follow the chords of limbs back to his head anyway.

“Hey, Val, it’s okay.” Sue puts her hand on Val’s shoulder. “Ben doesn’t know how to process this.” She shoots a glare over Val’s shoulder and Ben has the decency to start looking ashamed. “You’re still _so_ welcome here. I’m so happy Reed finally has some company down here and I’ve loved getting to know you.”

“We all have.” Johnny agrees. “It’s nice to have another young person around here. Even if you refuse to go clubbing with me.”

“Val, ‘m sorry." Ben starts. "Sue’s right. And I shouldn’t’a come chagrin’ at you like that. I don’t got an excuse, I know I always try to solve problems with my fists first.”

“Guess that makes me lucky, then. You only had strong words for me.”

“That wasn’t right neither. I’m sorry I marched over with— well, my whole rocky self and caged ya in.”

Val wipes her eyes. “It’s fine. What were you supposed to think? I would've told you but, I don't know, it was nice having a minute where I could be myself without my father’s actions hanging over my head.”

“Well, as far as we’re concerned, you still have a place where that’s the case.” At some point, Reed followed his arms over to the door and untangled them. It’s… something to get used to.

“If you’ll still have us.” Sue tacks on.

Val lets out a breath in disbelief. “Of course. I’ve been able to get out before this and see that there’s good in the world. Since I’ve been here, though you all have shown me what family looks like. You have your disputes but you always come together in the end. You’re the type of people I want to surround myself with going forward.”

“I've actually been meaning to ask you something,” Reed says. "What if this wasn't only an internship?"

“What do you mean?” Val can’t bring herself to jump to the obvious conclusion. A permanent place working under Reed Richards would be a dream in itself for many scientists. But after _being_ here, seeing how close-knit they all are, having a fraction of that directed at her, it’s more than she knows what to do with most days. So the possibility of working here for real, of getting to keep these people as her friends isn’t something she’s dared to hope for.

“I rarely give people the opportunity to intern with me anymore. Every time, I find myself counting down the days until I can send home whatever poor kid I let in here in the first place.” He sees Val’s face drop before she manages to hide her sadness from them.

“Get to the point faster, big brain. The kid’s been through enough today, don’t you think?” Ben takes the pause to push Reed along.

“Of course, I’m sorry. The point I’m taking my time getting to is that this time has been worlds different.”

“And take it from us to know just how different other worlds can be.” Johnny chimes in.

“You’re not helping speed this along, flame brain,” Ben comments again.

“Johnny is right, though. The comparison is apt. Before— bless them, I know they were doing their best— any other intern I’ve hired seemed to only get under my feet. I end up sending them on coffee runs.”

“None of them have questioned the fact that we have an espresso machine on this floor?”

Reed shrugs. “Yet another instance of you being smarter than them. Val, you’ve corrected _me_ on a few occasions. Not to mention times when you thought a project was going in a completely different direction than I’d intended and it turned out for the better because of it. Besides that, the whole team loves you. You’ve taught me about teamwork in a way I’ve never experienced or enjoyed before. I want to offer you a job with me here.”

“You’re not just saying all that, are you?”

“Believe me, Reed has a hard time finding the words and time for genuine compliments.” Sue comments. “He’s not about to make them up.”

Reed ducks his head and moves to kiss Sue’s temple. “Sorry, my love. I’ll work on that.” He turns back to Val. “You don’t have to answer now, but I meant everything I said. I’d love it if you came to work here.”

“Guys, I— I don’t know what to say. I applied because I wanted to be the opposite of my father, but I never imagined how great it would be here. I’d _love_ to work here for real.”


	2. Chapter 1

Sue lays in bed, trying to be content in Reed's arms, but she can't stop thinking about Valeria. For a while now, it has worried her that the princess doesn't seem to have many friends. “Reed, I’m worried about Valeria."

Reed thinks for a moment, but other than Doom being her father— which is old news at this point— he can't think of any reason to be worried about her. “Why?”

“Do you two ever talk down there or do you just go into Scientist Mode and tinker around in silence?”

Again, Reed has to think for a moment. “We talk.”

“About things other than your projects?”

“Sometimes. What are you getting at, my love?”

“You haven’t noticed that she doesn’t have many friends?”

“She has us.”

“Do you think that’s enough? We all love her, but this is _work_. Then she goes home and learns how to rule a country. She doesn’t seem to have any hobbies.”

Reed shrugs. “Neither do I. Work _is_ my hobby and I suspect it’s the same for her. You haven’t seen her at work down there. She _lights up_. When I see her working, I often wonder if that pride I feel is what it would feel like to have a daughter.”

“ _Reed_. That’s so sweet.”

“I don’t know _how_ with Victor as her only parent, but she’s a good kid. And I think, our little family accepting her is more than enough. It always has been for me.”

—0—

Reed meant what he said to Sue last night. But now that he’s down in the lab with Val again, he can’t stop hearing Sue’s words in his head. Val is young, she needs to let loose some time. He’s sure at some point he… in college, he thinks, he went out. He thinks back to his college days, meeting Sue. He took her out in his first flying car. That was fun. He knows how to put work away sometimes. It’s part of living a balanced life without your loved ones getting frustrated with you. It’s a lesson Val could learn before it becomes a problem for her. Reed just isn’t sure he’s the one to teach it. Reed is a renowned scientist and his wonder at the nature of things and how they work can cause him to come off as coldhearted to even the people closest to him. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s an extremely loving man to his family and Val is family now so he has no problem being the one to bring this up.

“Hey, earth to Mr. Fantastic.”

“Hmmm?” Reed turns to Val.

“You okay over there? You’ve been down here an hour and all you’ve done is stare at that screen.”

“Actually, Valeria, I was thinking.”

“About something other than work? Color me intrigued.”

“I was thinking about you.”

“Me? What about me?” She asks, going back to her own project.

“I know how easy it is to get sucked into work. I was thinking how in the two years that you’ve been working with us, this seems to be your only hobby.”

“And what do you do outside work?”

“Well, I’m married and in my forties, while you’re single and still getting your Ph.D.”

“My _second_ Ph.D. at the age of 25. It’s not like they put a limit on these things. Anyway, who needs hobbies— or a significant other— when you’re spending your time inventing the first reliable and portable teleporter?”

Reed sighs. “Logic, pure and simple. Not something I’m used to arguing with."

"Good bec—"

" _But_ I’m going to. Even _I_ got out when I was in college. I’m married, right? Sue and I had to date.”

Val snorts. “You say that like you don’t remember it actually happening. Anyway, what makes you think Dr. Doom would let his daughter date for anything other than political gain?”

“You’re well into being an adult, Victor’s need to control you doesn’t ever get to you?”

“I learned a long time ago that I _can’t_ let it get to me. He’s my dad and the king of Latveria. I don’t have a desire to go against him and deal with _that_. I know one day I’ll have to but until then, I’ll pick the battles I can win and that I care enough to fight. I know how to get what I want and part of that is keeping my expectations reasonable. He wouldn’t settle for me having anything less than the best education, nor for me giving up my studies before I'm sitting on the throne. But if he gets his way, it’ll be a long long time before that happens. I convinced him to let me study here in America. Then I slowly brought him around to the idea of me working here. I know how to live with him.”

“I hate how normal this is for you. You’re worlds different from your father, it can’t be easy for you.”

She shrugs. “What kid does see eye to eye with their parents?”

Reed levels an incredulous look at her. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You brushed off your dad being a reclusive, egotistical, controlling, _king_ like he’s any other dad, concerned that his daughter’s prom date came to pick her up on a motorcycle. Except, you’re in your twenties now and you’re not getting to experience life.”

She finally sets her work down and looks up at Reed. “What are you getting at? Are you trying to set me up, what?”

“No, I’m not, I—" He sighs. "I’m sorry, I’m not good at this. I’m trying to take an interest in your life outside of here. Except, you’re around so much, there doesn’t seem to be one. Don’t you ever want to get out there and experience something new?”

“Reed, I’m Victor VonDoom’s daughter working with the Fantastic Four. This _is_ the teenage rebellion I never got. My dad _hates_ that I’m here. But I’m happy and I’m learning and believe it or not, he _does_ love me, so he’s letting it happen.”

“Well, I’m glad I haven’t had to fight Victor over you. Because I would.” He bumps her shoulder with his. “We all would if it came down to it. You’re an adult and you deserve to live your life how _you_ want to live it. If there’s anything you want to do that he wouldn’t approve of, we’d all fight for your right to do whatever that is.”

“What could I possibly want to do that would be worth asking you four to put your lives on the line for it?”

Reed shrugs. “I don’t know, what happens when you meet someone one day and he doesn’t like it?” At her resulting glare, he puts his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry, I just think about how much I love my wife. I don’t want you to write off that possibility because of your father. But he could also ask you to be part of attempt number six hundred seventy-five of expanding his rule to the rest of the world. I want you to know that we’re in your corner.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me. But I enjoy what I do here and the work _means_ something. If I ever get the urge to go out and be a young person, I have Johnny. As it is, he’s begging me to go out clubbing with him more often than not.”

“Why don’t you ever take him up on it?”

“Reed, don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you. Anyway, I have let him wheedle me down a couple of times. Each time only served to remind me of how much I hate it. Yes, a strong drink or two after a particularly difficult problem can be nice, but all that noise and dancing is too much for me. Not to mention the fact that Johnny ditched me both times because he found someone hot he wanted to bone.”

“That sounds… unfortunately in character for him. I can talk to him if you want.”

“Oh, god. _Please_ don’t. I love Johnny, but now I know to keep it confined to a bar with respectable seating or a movie night in. Anyway, he _is_ trying to set me up. All the time.”

“How? You never leave this room.”

“Oh, he finds his fair share of hot scientists and brings them around for a tour. If he doesn’t think _he_ has a chance with them or they’re not his type, he leaves them down here while I’m working.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Have any of them worked out?”

She rolls her eyes. “You’re as bad as he is.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“No, none of them have worked out. I can’t be bothered to play guessing games over text. People have a problem saying what they want or mean for some reason. There was one time where it seemed things were going well, but at some point, people want to spend more time with the person they’re dating. If I’m not here, I have to catch up on my duties back home. Then they start in on how I can’t set aside enough time for them. Hell, the biggest workaholic I know— that's you, by the way— called me out on it. That’s not to mention the hoops I’d have to jump through to get my dad to accept it once it got serious. It’s… never been worth the hassle.”

He lets out what’s supposed to be a neutral to disagreeing hum. Val can tell he agrees with her anyway. “We think too much alike,” Reed concedes. “I should’ve had Johnny or Sue talk to you about this.

She laughs. “Yeah, that would've been your best bet. But I appreciate you asking anyway. My dad has always been too busy grooming me to be the perfect little supervillain sidekick to stop and ask what I want. I can't tell you how amazing it makes me feel being around the four of you.”

"I'm glad. Sue and I were talking about how much we love having you around and how well you fit in with us. If you ever want to go through combat training or if you develop superpowers someday, we'd be more than happy to change our name."

"I'm lucky the Fantastic Five is still an alliteration."

"Oh yeah, that would change everything." He bumps his shoulder with yours. "I mean it, though. You mean a lot to us."

"Thanks, Reed. The feeling's mutual."

He clears his throat as the feeling in the room gets more sincere. "And hey," he starts as he goes back to his work. "Johnny has been begging for a redesign on the suits."


	3. Chapter 2

Val is proud of Reed for getting out of the lab today. Sue was desperate for a date night and Val was getting ready to put on a suit and take her out herself. But Reed stepped up— thank God. He _is_ capable of romance from time to time, and he’s had more time for it now that he has someone he trusts to hold down the fort for the day. Val loves working with Reed, but she doesn’t mind this either. It’s nice to be able to put on some music and not have any rubber limbs to work around every once in a while. Not that Reed would care or even notice if she played music but she still has enough courtesy to not want to bother him. The more time she spends with the family, though, the faster that particular instinct ebbs away.

She’s in the middle of examining a component for her current project when she hears the door slide open. In strides a redhead in a red, crushed velvet suit with wide, pointed lapels. Under the jacket lies a pristine black button-up with gold stitching. His hands are in his pockets and he’s looking around with constrained interest.

“Hey stranger, you lost?” Val asks, not yet putting her tools down.

He looks at her, and it’s a bit jarring having those orange eyes directed at her. “I hope not. Johnny told me there was a project I could both aid and benefit from, but I assumed I’d be working with Reed.”

“And who might you be?”

“How rude of me. I’m Daimon.” He extends a hand.

She looks him over as she sets her tools down and shakes his hand. “I’m Valeria. You look familiar. Any heroic affiliations?”

“I did a stint with the Defenders a few years ago.” He pauses. “Son of Satan sound familiar?”

“Oooh, right. You’re normally a lot more shirtless.”

“Yeah, well, my powers involve hellfire. It’s easy to overheat.”

Val snorts. “Sure. I like the suit, though.” She chooses not to mention that Johnny wears a onesie and fairs fine.

He glances down with his whole body. “Thanks. I am a prince of sorts, figured I’d dress the part. So, are you helping Reed with the teleportation tech?”

“That’s what you’re here about?”

He nods. “Should I come back?”

“No, that’s my project. I’ve asked Reed to look at it but try explaining your process to another scatterbrained scientist.”

He lets out a breath of a laugh. “I wouldn’t know the first thing about it. I’m more versed in the arts.”

“So you are. And you’re here to help with the teleporter. What are your ideas?”

He shrugs. “Teleporting is in my skill set but I need increasingly rarer materials to do so. Johnny thought it might help you to study me.”

“Study you, huh?” Fuckin’ Johnny trying to set her up again. For a minute, she’s too peeved with him to realize that Daimon is actually pretty hot. Then again, Johnny doesn’t send over anyone who isn’t. “I don’t know how that would help with this.”

He hums, stands there for a minute in silence.

“So, can you only move through space or time too?” She can’t help but ask anyway.

“What’s that?”

“Sorry, when you teleport, can you move through time as well or only space?”

He let out a laugh. “ _Only_ space? Most people are more impressed than that.”

“I have a scientific curiosity and I live with the Fantastic Four half the time. Inhumans, hulks, heroes for hire, Spider-man, Avengers, they’re all passing through here every other day. I’ve lost my sense of wonderment.” She shrugs. “And you didn’t answer me.”

“Well, I can do both but I find that the forces of hell do enough damage to our time. Besides, people smarter than me have time-traveled and fucked it up.”

“I can appreciate that. So how do you do it?”

He waves his hand and a golden trident appears in his hand in a swirl of smoke and controlled flame. “I stole this from my dad on my first trip to Hell. It’s a special metal that only exists in my father’s realm. It helps me concentrate my powers.”

“Fascinating. Now, _that_ I could study.”

“I’m afraid I couldn’t part with it— it’s one of the only things keeping him in check. Like me, without it, his powers aren’t at their full potential. I wouldn’t put it past him to send his minions after it the second I turn my back. But, if you want to look it over, I’d be happy to work with you.”

“That sounds great.”

—0—

“So, how’s that teleporter going?” Johnny asks a few days later after he convinced Val to join him for drinks.

“Are you talking about the not yet functional one I’m working on or the one you sent from Hell?”

He lets out a breath. “Did you hate him that much?”

Val can see the gears turning in his head. If a dating app was a person, it would come in the form of Johnny Storm. Where she’s concerned, anyway. She swears that everything she says goes into the database where Johnny is constantly adjusting the Valeria dateability algorithm. Unfortunately, it seems to have worked. She can’t even deny that he hit the nail on the head with Daimon.

“No, Johnny, if your goal was to send down some eye-candy for me, it worked.”

“Oh?”

“What oh?”

“Come on, you don’t have to play coy. Spill. What happened?”

“Nothing. We talked about my teleporter and he’s bringing his trident around so I can study it.”

“His _trident_ , huh?”

She rolls her eyes. “That was not a euphemism and you know it.”

“Boo.” He heckles. “But you thought he was hot?”

“I mean, he’s the son of Satan. He’s literally hot, you can feel it radiating off him when you stand next to him.”

"His soul fire or whatever the fuck he calls it doesn't radiate heat. It's from Hell, fire doesn't work the same there, I guess. I would know, he blasted me with it the first time we met."

"Is it because you were interrogating him about his love life? Because if I had superpowers I'd be contemplating using them against you right about now."

"You're impossible. Do I have to do everything around here?”

“I’m going to say no because I have no idea what you mean by that. I can only assume you’re going to go and ruin my work by being unprofessional with a consultant.”

“So, the answer is yes because _you’re_ not going to do anything unprofessional with him. I need to get the wheels turning.”

“Johnny, I will kill you in cold blood and have Ben help me bury your body if you fuck this up.”

“You know, you might want to talk to your dad. He could help you out in the evil threats department.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“So I’ve heard.” He pauses but not long enough to actually think about the question he’s about to ask. “So, have you _ever_ had sex?”

Val chokes on her drink. “ _What_?”

Johnny raises his voice, undeterred. “Have you ever—”

“I heard you, Dingus. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Okay, well, now you’ve had a second to take it in. Have you?”

“Of course.”

“Of course? When did you— was it in college before you met us? Was that the last time you got any? Because between being a monarch and never leaving Reed’s lab, you don’t seem to _ever_ —”

“Yeah, I get it, Johnny, I’m a sad nerd who’s working on her second Phd at the age of 25.”

“No, come on Val. I joke, but that’s not what I’m saying. I know better than anybody that sex doesn’t have to mean anything. Not having sex doesn’t have to mean anything either. I get it— well, I don't, but you have a busy life. You're doing important work. It makes sense that someone who isn't me would prioritize that over having meaningless hookups night after night. I’m just being invasive because we don’t get to have these conversations often enough. Was my guess close?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

She snorts. “Spot on, actually. When a problem is nagging at me and I’ve stared at it for too long, I do like a good drink. Back in college, I didn’t have anyone to go with so I’d go to a bar by myself. Some guy would hit on me and I’d shrug and go home with him. I was too busy for relationships, though and the sex was almost always disappointing. So, I stopped caring about it.” She shrugs.

“Was that your first time? Some stranger in a bar you never saw again?”

She shrugs. “Yeah. The concept of virginity never meant anything to me and the thought of someone else getting off on the fact that they were 'taking my virginity’ was disgusting to me. So I didn’t even tell him.”

“Wow, that’s… I expected you to tell me about a forbidden love with a stable boy. Who knew you used to be cool?”

Val shoves him, rocking the stool he’s on so he has to scramble to set his drink down to balance himself again. “Is that why you always ask me to come out with you? So it looks like you have some game sitting next to me?”

“Come on, I am extremely charming.”

“Can’t argue with numbers.” She raises a brow as she sips on her drink.

“Are you calling me a slut, Ms. Doom?”

“Would you keep it down? How would you like it if I started screaming that a member of the Fantastic Four is here?”

Johnny shrugs. “I’m a media whore, everyone knows that.”

She hums. “Another thing I can’t argue with.”

—0—

Daimon arrives at the lab in yet another killer suit. It’s black, but iridescent, giving off an orange and golden sheen under the fluorescent lights. This time Reed is here working on his own project.

“Oh, I wasn’t aware we were having a guest,” Reed notes.

“I told you about it after he came by the first time last week.” Val resists the urge to roll her eyes. “You said, and I quote: Hmm, yes, an exciting endeavor indeed.”

Reed looks perplexed for a moment. “I have a vague memory of that. No matter.” He turns to Daimon, extending his hand from his seat halfway across the lab. “I’m Reed.”

Daimon, to his credit, only looks at Reed’s over-extended hand for a second before shaking it. “Daimon Hellstrom.”

Reed furrows his brows. “Hellstrom. I know that name... did you go by Hellstorm for a while?”

“Uh, yes. My career as a hero has been a bit hectic, all over the place, really.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I finally decided I’d be better off as a freelance investigator. That’s how Johnny and I met.” He nods his head to the side, thinking. “Mr. Grimm as well, actually.”

“It would seem that our meeting is well overdue. It’s a pleasure. What brings you here?”

“Johnny mentioned Valeria’s teleportation device and it interested me.”

“He’s coming on as a consultant,” Val adds. “I mentioned that last week as well.”

Reed hums. “Yes, well, I should remember this conversation next time you come, Daimon. Who knows where my head was last week?”

Daimon lets out a laugh. “Not even you, it would seem.”

“Well, I’ll let you consult. If Val can get this teleporter up and running it’ll be groundbreaking.”

“I imagine it’ll change the way our world works if it’s accessible to the general populace. That’s the goal, yes?” He asks as he takes a seat next to Val, conjuring his trident and setting it on the table in front of them.

“Yeah. More efficient means of transportation means fewer cars. Bad for Big Oil, great for the planet. I can't wait to see big companies like Roxxon crumble. Not to mention people not having to pay auto insurance. No more car accidents or injuries that come from that. The list goes on."

Daimon finds himself enthralled by her passion for helping. It's something he deeply respects, even if he's lost a lot of his own passion over the years. "I confess, this project seemed interesting when I decided to come in, but I never thought of all the good it would do."

"Yeah, that's why I've latched onto it. So, you sent over some notes. This is psychosensetive metal?”

He nods. “My powers are virtually limitless in my father’s dimension. I don’t know if carrying a little piece of Hell with me is what helps enhance my powers or if the properties of the metal would affect people differently. Like I told you last time we met, I keep it rather close to my chest.”

“You did say that. So, what made you agree to let me study it? I thought you were all magic and divination.”

“I can’t be multifaceted?”

“I’ve found that it’s a rare quality.”

He grins, flashing his pointed k9s, and leans in lowering his voice. “I’m not your average man.”

Val has noticed, but she’s not ready to hand that victory over to Johnny just yet, even if he’s not around to witness it. “None of them ever think they are. In any case, that’s not an answer. We’re here in search of answers, right?”

“I’m sorry, I didn't realize there was no fun allowed.”

She sighs. “No, it’s fine. It’s easy for me to get wrapped up. I’ve been told that I need to loosen up on more than one occasion.”

He shrugs. “Me too. Sounds like something else we could work on together.” He grins again.

She considers returning his flirting for a moment, but a litany of things stops her. Johnny's smugness being a big one. Whether Reed has any idea this conversation is going on is anyone’s guess, but he’s in the room and even _he_ was asking after her love life. Besides, he’s been something close to a father figure so he’s the last person she wants to be flirting in front of. Well, her actual father, _Dr. Doom_ is the **last** person she’d want to flirt in front of but Reed is up there. And of course, there’s her actual, groundbreaking project, if she can manage to get it off the ground in the first place. For a while now, she’s just been tinkering and this is a fresh lead. So, no on the flirting. She has a world to change.

“So, if I touch this, is it going to burn me or shoot fire or something?” She steers the conversation back to the reason they’re here.

Daimon looks like he’s about to laugh before the expression falls from his face. “I— I don’t actually know. I’ve never thought about that as an option. You’re the first person I've let get this close to it.”

“You still haven't told me why that is.”

He shrugs. “I got a good feeling about you when we talked last week. I’m not psychic, but I have a strong intuition about people and I’ve learned to trust it.”

“Sounds like without your trident, up here on earth you have a lot of almost powers.”

“Well, that’s the least flattering way anyone’s talked about my abilities.”

“Sorry, it was an observation, I wasn’t thinking about how it would sound.”

He shakes his head, a slight grin playing on his face. “It’s funny.”

She looks him over for a minute. If his grin spreads to her, she can’t help it. “Good. Wouldn’t want to invoke the wrath of the prince of Hell. That’s a relation I want to keep diplomatic.”

He laughs. “Please.”

Once again, she finds herself having to guide the conversation back to work. “So um, Can you explain how you teleport?”

“To move from space to space, realm to realm, time to time, I need increasingly rare materials to enact the spells to do so. Some places are easier to get to. Hell, for instance. I’ve fortified my home with spells so I can get there easily now. I find that I don’t use that particular skill often. I can’t go very far or hold portals open for long because it takes so much concentration.”

“Makes sense.”

He tilts his head to the side as he looks her over for a moment, interested. “You’re not put off by me talking about spells. I find most people— especially scientists— are. You believe in magic?”

“Careful, if you say that any louder Disney is going to find you and ask you to do a fireworks voiceover.

He lets out a surprised laugh at that.

“Anyway, I can’t be multifaceted?” She mirrors his earlier words.

“I find it’s a rare quality.” He finishes.

She lets out an indulgent laugh. “Cute. Jokes aside, I’m fascinated by the space where science and magic overlap. Reed and I have gotten into more than one friendly debate about it. He dismisses it as unscientific fast, but I try to remind him that the only thing that’s doing is limiting himself.”

“Not to sound like a broken record, but magic is just science we don't understand yet.” Reed can’t help but chime in.

 _So he_ has _been listening_. Val notes. “I don’t know about that. Magic has its own set of rules. Often, it’s all about deconstructing scientific laws.”

“It’s not a law if there are exceptions.” Reed counters, if one could call it that.

“I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make, and I don’t think you know either. I’m also not conceding your point, but I am stopping this before we both get even more distracted and end up talking about the finer points of string theory.”

“Fair point.” Reed concedes before going back to his work.

“Well, you’re right, Val. Magic is its own thing with its own rules, woven into this world the same as anything you can discover with science." Daimon agrees. "To write off either of them would be to shut yourself off to half the world. I can’t tell you how many times some of the more scientifically inclined heroes left the saving of the world to me or Dr. Strange or Dr. Voodoo because they refused to believe what they were up against. We need more geniuses like you.”

“Not everyone would agree with you on that. I mean, look at Dr. Doom.”

“I didn’t say that we needed more homicidal maniacs with powers they shouldn’t have control over. I said like _you_.”

Val feels herself getting all warm and fuzzy inside at his words and she hates it. “Well, let’s see if we can’t tie the two together for this project.”


	4. Chapter 3

Over the last few weeks, Johnny, of course, has continued to harass Val to come out for drinks with him again. So, she finally caves. She could use a drink and she doesn’t hate the idea of drinking alone when Johnny inevitably finds some hot person to go home with. So, when she gets to the bar and sees a familiar point of ginger hair seated next to Johnny at a booth, she has to reset her expectations for the night. Sure, working with Daimon has been great. But due to her growing attraction to the hellspawn, socializing with him isn't something she would've set up.

“Hey guys,” Val says as she makes her way up to the booth.

“Hey, nice of you to join us,” Johnny comments. “I was starting to wonder if Reed was trying to make the lab bigger and pulled you guys into the micorverse again.”

“Nope. I let my current project run a little long because I thought you’d be late and it would only be us. I didn't know I was keeping royalty waiting."

"Come on, I barely even run a strip of hell anymore. And the only reason I even made a deal with Mephisto to keep _that_ was so I could banish any demons I end up fighting. The other hell lords are too lax on their exit policies."

“Well, as much as I appreciate the caliber of suits you’ve been showing up to my lab in, I’m glad to see that you know how to dress down.” She eyes what she can see of his outfit. As it turns out, the only thing she sees is an unzipped leather jacket with the lines of his famed pentagram emitting a light glow underneath.

“So you’re liking what you see?” Daimon asks with a quirk of his brow.

Over the last few weeks, Daimon has grown on Val as they worked together. As much as she still doesn’t want to deal with Johnny gloating, she also doesn’t see the point in putting it off any longer. “So what if I am?”

“I’d say that it’s about time we were able to hang out outside of work.”

“If that’s what you wanted, you could’ve asked.”

To Val’s shock and surprise, Johnny cuts off their flirting there. “Hey, it’s Johnny, your friend. I’m sure it would be hard to notice, gazing into each other’s eyes as you are, but I’m still here. Should I leave you two alone?”

“I don’t know.” Daimon turns to Val, grinning. “Should he leave us alone?”

“I don’t know, that seems awfully rude to do to a friend.”

“I guess you’re right. Especially when said friend was kind enough to introduce us.”

Johnny rolls his eyes at their blatant flirting and more-so, the fact that they show no signs of stopping. Is this what it’s like for Val every time they go out and people flock to him? No wonder she has such specific conditions anytime he wants to hang out. So, because Val has been so longsuffering with him over the years, he stays. The whole time he’s hoping one of the others will set off the Fantastic 4 flare, calling him to action, but he has no such luck. So, after 45 minutes of being third wheeled, he makes his exit.

“Sorry to cut the party short, but I just remembered, I have an appointment.”

“At…” Val pulls her phone out and checks the time. “10:30 at night?”

Johnny could kick himself. He should’ve said that Sue texted him. “It’s with my agent. You know the entertainment industry.” He doesn’t give either of them time to respond before he heads out.

While Val believes that Johnny would forget about a work meeting because he decided to get drinks with friends, she isn’t sure what she’s supposed to know about the entertainment industry that would merit a 10:30 pm meeting. She would imagine that even— _especially_ busy agents would want something resembling regular office hours.

“Could he have been less subtle?” Daimon comments after Johnny is out the door.

Val raises a brow. “You must only be an acquaintance of his. Johnny Storm could most definitely be less subtle.” She lets out a little laugh. “I’m surprised he didn’t declare a state of emergency and ‘flame on’ right out of here.”

Daimon snorts. “And people think _I’m_ theatrical.”

“Two things can be true.” Val takes a sip of her drink.

Daimon looks at her for a moment and— like so many times over the past month— finds himself struck by a warm fondness. It’s something he hasn’t felt since he drove his ex away years ago. He takes a sip of his own drink to hide what’s surely a lovestruck face.

“Does that do anything for you?” Val asks.

“Hmm?”

“You’re from Hell. Do mortal vices do anything to you?”

He laughs. “My mom is human, and so is my body— for the most part.”

“For the most part?”

“I inherited certain… _gifts_ from my father. One of them is enhanced healing, making me virtually unkillable. I have a second soul. That’s the part of me that’s from Hell. When I was younger, it consumed me at times and I hated not having that control. I tried to have it exorcised once.”

“I take it that didn’t work.”

“Well, it did, but then I started dying. I was so— I don’t know if I was stubborn or if I was truly that afraid of that side of myself at the time, but I was ready to go out a man of God.” He lets out a laugh of disbelief at the memory. “My ex went to Hell to make a deal to get it back.”

“So your body is human but your second soul… keeps you from dying?”

“Now that I’ve learned to live with it and I know a lot more about the occult, I realize it’s that ingrained into me. When people astral project, that’s their soul leaving their body, and their body lies there vulnerable during that time. I think it was a similar concept. I’m half-human, so I didn’t pass out or die right away when we banished that part of my soul, but it’s still part of me. I can’t separate myself from it without injury.”

“That’s fascinating. But it also doesn’t answer my question.”

He has to think for a moment. Alcohol, yes. “Yes, alcohol does affect me. Thank fuck. Wouldn’t want to have to go hunt down some magical potion or Asgardian ale every time I wanted a drink.”

“Yeah, that would be frustrating at best.”

“Sucks to be Thor.”

Val lets out a surprised laugh. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“So, now that I’ve overshared, tell me about yourself.”

“I um— what do you want to know?”

“Anything. You’re very good at steering the conversation back to work whenever I try to sidetrack you in the lab.”

“So, you _have_ been trying to distract me.”

“Is it working? Like, at all?”

She laughs. “Yeah, it’s working. But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do it while my boss was around.”

“Reed? Please, I don’t think he could tell you about any of our conversations if Doom was threatening his family for the answers.”

She sits there, staring for a moment, trying to figure out if that was a coincidence, or if he somehow knows who her father is.

After she sits there in silence for a moment too long, Daimon straightens up. “I apologize if that was too dark. When you deal with these things on regular basis—”

“I— no, it’s not that. It hit a little close to home, I guess. Any other time, I’m fine. I promise I’m not stuck up about that kind of thing.” She sighs. “But Dr. Doom is my father. It threw me, hearing him mentioned so casually. I don't know why, He's always in the news, he's one of the most persistent super-villains out there. It's not like I never hear him referenced.”

Daimon raises his brows, taking the information in before he shrugs. “Makes sense.”

“ _Makes sense_?” She squeaks, offended.

“Makes sense why you’d react like that, yeah.” He pauses. “Sorry, I didn’t know he had a daughter. Did the Fantastic Four know when they hired you?”

“Reed and Sue did. Ben found out and that was a whole big thing—” Daimon laughs at that. Val is perplexed for a moment before she realizes her unintentional pun and rolls her eyes.

“Sorry. So, you fought the Thing? How did _that_ go down? Did your dad pass down his knowledge of the mystic arts?”

“The short answer is: he tried. I wasn’t interested in something vague as magic when I had facts and numbers in front of me. As for my fight with Ben, it was verbal and short-lived— thank God. He woke the others up yelling at me, thinking I was there to infiltrate the group. They came down and we were able to talk it out. Ben felt bad, everything’s been fine for years now.”

“I worked with Ben once a long time ago. There was a situation in a ghost town. He isn’t someone most would want to yell in their face.”

Val shrugs. “I wasn’t scared. Well, maybe a little, if he wouldn’t listen, but I was more upset that my father’s reputation was ruining mine yet again.”

“Yeah, that’s tough when it comes to personal relationships. But as far as the public is concerned, I’ve always leaned into my heritage.”

“Even though we have different approaches to the whole ‘evil royal dad’ thing, you might be one of the only people who Gets It.”

“Yeah, I do. It’s difficult to navigate. I’m duty-bound to protect this world because, well, I live here. But I hate my dad. I’d be happy if I never had to thwart one of his plots again. But that’s not a luxury I can see myself having. I coined the whole Son of Satan thing when I had less control over my dark soul, tried to rebrand as Hellstorm, but it’s not much better.” He shrugs. “Being a bit of an asshole helps in my line of work. But I understand that you don’t want your dad’s legacy hanging over you. Especially when you’re working with the Fantastic Four. That could be a lot of press. Especially when you figure out that teleporter you’re working on.”

She lets out a breath. “I didn’t even think of that. I’m going to be more hated than Elon Musk. Maybe I can have reed put it out under his name. Or Baxter inventions or something.”

“Come on, you deserve credit for doing this. And anyone who wants to let Dr. Doom get in the way of more efficient, cleaner transportation is giving him exactly what he wants.”

“Technically, I could also be called Dr. Doom.” Val points out.

“I— yeah, I guess you’re right. Doesn’t change anything, though.”

She sighs. “Well, I’ve had quite enough of this topic.”

“I get it. I don’t appreciate people talking about my family either.”

She nods. “So what _do_ you like to talk about?”

He opens his mouth to respond before he has an answer. One doesn’t come as easily as he thought. “I— can’t say I get the chance to do this sort of thing very often. These days I’m always working.”

“Well, you’re not right now.”

“Did you have an idea, Dr. Doom?” He raises his brows.

She laughs. “ _No_. That is not about to become a thing.”

“Come on, embrace it.” He makes a wide gesture and his jacket opens enough for her to see the full pentagram carved into his chest. “It’s not that bad, I promise.”

She can’t help but grin at his confidence, not only in himself but in her as well, it would seem. “I’ll give it a test run, but only with you.”

“I’m honored, princess.” And that’s a shit-eating grin if she’s ever seen one.

“Hey, that’s where I’m drawing the line.” She points at him. “Only one technically correct nickname at a time, and you already picked yours.”

“Damn, you hated that even more than Dr. Doom.”

“I did.”

He looks her over for a minute. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?”

“And go where?”

“My place. You can get a taste of the teleportation you’re basing your tech off of.”

“Is that safe? Drinking and opening portals?”

“Yeah, another benefit of you making this available for the general public. Come on.”

After they slide out of the booth, Daimon takes Val’s hand. She’s surprised by how gentle his grip is. It’s not overbearing, it seems he just wants to be close. They walk outside and he heads down an alley. If she hadn’t spent so much time with him already, she’d be dubious, even though Johnny was the one who introduced them.

“Disgusting alley you’ve found here.” She comments, looking around.

He scoffs. “I’m getting out of public view. Would you prefer I made a spectacle in the bar?”

“Disgusting alley it is.”

He doesn’t wait for more quips before he summons his trident and opens a flaming portal. Without even a glance behind him, he walks through.

Val stands there in awe of the strange portal before her, only a bit dubious of heading through herself.

Daimon peeks through, now at their destination, waiting for her to follow. “Come on, don’t you trust me?” He extends a hand through the portal, an offering, and a promise of safety.

“Hang on, I have to take a minute and appreciate this Aladdin moment for my inner Disney-loving child.”

He laughs and waits for her to take his hand. She doesn’t make him wait long, and the moment she puts her hand in his, he pulls her through, putting his arm around her and keeping her close before he closes the portal. “I bet you didn’t think you’d be getting with the prince of Hell.”

“Not back then, but few things surprise me these days.”

He’s quietly pleased with how unphased she is by his heritage and reputation. Instead of bringing that up, he gestures to the door ahead. “This is me.”

Val looks around. “This isn’t New York. Where are we?”

“Greentown, New England.”

She raises her brows. “Pardon?”

“Relax, say the word and I’ll take you to the Baxter Building, or wherever you’re staying.” He reassures her as he opens the door. There aren’t any visible locks.

Val has to decide what to address first. The lack of security, or him transporting them to an ambiguous cluster of states without telling her. She goes for what’s in front of her. “So, you take it on faith that no one is going to steal your shit?”

“Protection spell.” He says as if that’s an answer people give other people. Of course, with Dr. Doom as her father, she knows that it’s a fair one. Still, she has a sneaking suspicion that Daimon would’ve said the exact same thing to anyone who asked. He’s not one for pretenses.

She has to laugh. “Yeah, alright. So, who even refers to this area as New England anymore?”

He shrugs. “That’s what people called it when I was a kid. I sleep here, but my business takes place everywhere. It doesn’t come up much.”

She hums. “So, does magical crime-fighting pay well, then? This is a nice place.”

“Inheritance. Besides, the passageway to Hell in the basement is sure to dock its market value. Don’t worry, I sealed it.”

“Perfect. It’s like Pandora's box down there.”

Daimon snorts. “Hey, not to talk shit on Reed Richards of all people—”

“But you’re about to?”

“But my passageways to other dimensions stay shut. Monsters raging in New York, where’s the first place they check?”

“Reed’s lab. Or the Sanctum Sanctorum, depending on what type of monsters.”

“Mhm. You ever heard of Greentown?”

“No.”

“That’s because I do my job.”

“I know you’re gloating, or joking, but you have a point. Why aren’t you the sorcerer supreme?”

“Sorcerers supreme tend to be altruistic. I’ll help out when I’m needed, but I gave it up as a career for a reason.”

“Sure, it’s not for everyone.” She pauses. “Hang on, that first day in the lab, you said that teleporting isn’t easy and you don’t do it often. We popped over here like it was nothing.”

“I’ve fortified the place with spells over the years. It’s easy to get to. Strange has a hotspot set up in his Sanctorum so it’s easier for me to get to New York and I have a place in New Orleans.”

“So… magical crime-fighting _does_ pay well.”

He shrugs. “It can. People are usually willing to do anything to escape the influence of the paranormal in their lives. I know I was, once. Still, it feels a bit slimy taking money from people who need help.”

“But you have to live too. And you can’t help anyone if you have a full-time job.”

“Yeah, that’s the conclusion I came to. It helps me keep an eye on my dad too. After all, I’m uniquely qualified to make sure the underworld stays… down under.”

“A noble calling.”

He snorts. “Is it noble if you’re doing it out of necessity? I don’t have much of a choice. Like I said: uniquely qualified.”

“You could’ve joined him.”

He tries to take the daggers out of his eyes as he looks up at her. She understands his position better than most. “I’m sure you understand how much that isn’t an option.”

“I do.”

“Damn, how do things always end up so somber? Is this a problem for you too?”

“I can’t say I do this much. In college, we skipped right to the fucking and never saw each other again.”

He raises a brow.

“What? I thought we were being honest.”

“No, it surprised me, is all. Most aren’t so forthcoming. But it’s been about the same for me.”

“Maybe we can have both.” She puts her hand on his chest, tracing the symbol there.

He takes her wrist in his hand, guiding it away as he draws in close and cups her face with his other hand. He takes a moment to look her over before he surges in, connecting their lips.

It's been a while since she felt this. She almost forgot what it was like to have soft lips against hers, a warm body drawing her close, skin rasping against her own. She puts her hands on his shoulders, feeling his muscles rippling beneath his flesh. She lets herself get lost in the feeling of their lips working together, the way it lights a fire in her core, driving her forward.

Daimon hasn’t felt a connection like this since his ex. He hates comparing this to what he had with her— it isn’t fair to either of them. It didn’t work out and he knows that. He doesn’t carry a torch for her anymore but his last relationship might have been the last time he was truly happy. Even through this passion-filled kiss with Valeria, he can feel the glimmer of hope that he could have something like that again. He runs a hand up the back of her neck, tangling his hand into her hair, and tilting her head to the side. The new angle gives him a clear expanse of skin where he starts planting kisses. He feels her hand snake into his own hair as he works on a spot at the base of her neck before she starts letting out soft little breaths. It’s music to his ears.

He lets out a breath, overwhelmed by everything she is. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous. Let me take you to bed?”

“At this point, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” he says as he lifts her, waits for her to wrap her legs around his waist, and carries her to bed.


End file.
